Knowing You Are There
by Karianasan
Summary: Velma's up to something. Shaggy finds out and decides to help. Everyday Story. Mainly focusing in the backyard and the events that happen there. Used mostly for cute Fluff Scenes. REVENGE! Chapter 5 is up!
1. Knowing You Are There: SV

It was a sunny summer afternoon for the House of Mystery Inc. With the bright sunshine, Velma found herself up to her arms in work, though she liked it bet that way.

For a long time, Velma had been eying two of the tree's that lived in the back yard. Maybe a time as she tended to her butterfly bushes and other garden companions she found herself sizing up those two trees. Unable to stand it anymore, she had bought it.

Measuring the steps between the two parallel trees, she smiled as the numbers added up. Taking a few more measurements, her eyes twinkled at the possibilities.

"This is the best idea."

She talked to herself, since everyone had occupied themselves somewhere else in the nice day. So she found herself alone to unravel her diabolical plan. Walking back, she found the box she had bought earlier waiting for her. Like a Christmas present, it sat there waiting to be ripped open and used. Though she already knew what was inside, the excitement was still there.

With great care, she used her pocket knife and carved the tape open to split the great box open, showing her the guts of her project. With wiggling giddy fingers, her hands clasped upon something. It rustled as she brought the paper out and held it where the sun could give her the instructions. Not that she couldn't figure it out, but she always liked reading the instructions before she started anything. Though it mattered little if she actually followed it's advice, depending on the venture.

Bringing up a thumb, she chewed upon it as her eyes glazed over the words. Soaking up ever bit of information that she could squeeze out of the simple piece of paper. She was in her own little world, as she commonly became when reading something that had information to glean from.

The paper took little time to finish twice over as her head was brought back to the box and it's contents inside. With a giggle, she grabbed the first part. Standing up, she traveled to the two trees. Squinting, she eyeballed it, though using her own height she figured where she had to place it... the trouble was the fact it was almost two feet above her.

"Looks like you need a hand."

Squealing, Velma jumped at the sudden voice behind her she had been so occupied with the paper and the first component that she didn't notice someone was sneaking behind her. Turning around, she found Shaggy with a goofy grin peering into her secret box.

"... I though, Like' you were up to something."

"I'm not up to nothing..." Velma stuttered in her defense, feeling thrown off with his sudden appearance. Usually she was pretty good, but since she had been so distracted he got the drop on her.

"Ah, I remember you explaining this before." He placed his hand to his chin and tried to look studious. He just ended up looking silly, but at least he tried. "A not, with a negative like word, equals the fact that you're up to something. Am I right?" His eyes wiggled in delight. He had been paying attention and not everything Velma said got past him... just most of it.

Velma blushed and turned away. He had caught her and she had not been prepared with a witty enough response to escape the claim of the truth. She gave a laugh and turned back around after composing herself.

"...You got me. I plan to set that up." She said pointing at the box.

"That makes sense. I have seen you looking at those trees lately with that far off look you get when you have something on your mind. And frankly I think it's a great idea. Let me feed Rex and I'll be right there to give you a hand."

Velma watched Shaggy trot off to feed his Venus fly trap he had named 'Rex'. She had always enjoyed his and Scoobys company when she worked in the garden, and it was nice to have someone else enjoy the back yard in the same way she did, at least plant wise. Though it surprised her at first to know that Shaggy was such a green thumb. But then again, most food grew, and ever since that project they worked on together he's been a green nut.

It took Shaggy little time to feed his plant and then return. Moving up, he eyed the tree and the little part she held in her hand.

"So, what can I do?" He asked, looking down at her.

"Well, this." She held up the little bit of metal and showed it to him. Though it seemed kind of small, the thickness gave the image that it would be able to stand a lot more then it looked like it could. "We need to put it about six feet off the ground. But you might have to make a small hole before you want to screw it into place."

Handing the piece to Shaggy, Velma went back to the box were she also had brought out her tool box. Flipping it open, she pushed about things in the box till she found what she needed. In her hands, the drill looked larger then she should be using, but she preferred the higher power motor that the larger models had rather then the smaller ones she had in the past burnt out.

"Here." Going back to where Shaggy was, she handed him the drill. It had the right size drill bit in there already, so all he had to do was make a small hole first. Shaggy looked at the drill with a bit of hesitation. He wasn't as good with tools as Velma or Fred seemed to be. Sure, he knew how to use them, but being actually good with them was not really his thing. Well, unless it was being used to mix some batter... But that really wasn't the main use of a drill.

Giving her a look, she nodded. Shrugging, he turned to the tree and tried to place the drill against the bark.

VZZZZZZZzzzzzzzztttt...

The drill hummed with intimidation. With a sigh, knowing that Velma would just nod at him if he looked over at her again, he gave it his best shot.

Vzzzzzzzzttt--Churrrrrggggg

The drill as it was pressed against the wood seemed to be winning at first, but the Shaggy's grip slipped and so did the drill. He didn't get hurt, but the bark went splintering off in random directions as it dug a line across the side of the tree.

"Ooops, heh. Sorry." He apologized but the second and third results were not to much different. Looking back to Velma, he looked helpless. With patience, she knew Shaggy wasn't exactly tool savvy.

"Here, let me show you."

Offering her hand out, Shaggy placed the large tool into her palm. Grasping the tool with the ease of experience, she placed her one hand on the grip and the other felt inot place on the back of the drill. A line was made from the tip of the drill, down the top part and ended at her top hand.

"See, the key is the top hand here. That is what helps create a continual and direct pressure to guide the drill into the wood. Without it, the drill will tend to angle and drift off in other direction like what you did."

Looking up from where she had gone into instructor mode, she found herself talking to air. She was about to look around when Shaggy seemed to have came up behind her while she talked and lifted her off the ground effortlessly.

"Hey, what the..." She tried to turn around but Shaggy held her tightly but gently enough not to hurt her. He had plenty of experience carrying the whole gang on many occasions, so just holding up Velma was a cinch.

"Well, you know how to do it, I'll be the height." She could tell he was smiling. She hung her head for a second and laughed. Well, at least she knew she would do it the right way. "...Wait, let's try this..."

Before she knew it, she was being lifted higher and carefully placed upon Shaggys shoulders. Thankfully, she had worn shorts for the occasion, or she would have been far more flustered then she was becoming.

"There!" Shaggy seemed pleased with himself. Although it did give her the extra height, it was a little bit too much for what she needed to do.

"Uh... Shaggy."

"Yeah Velms?"

"...I'm to high, I can't reach unless I lean over your head. And well, Um, that isn't going to work." Forces of gravity would not be her friend if she had decided to try to lean over.

"Hm, true. That would be hard. Alright, let's try this..."

"Wait!"

Ignoring her holler for hesitation, he reached up, grabbing her by the waist and pulled her up and over his head. Crossing her arms, she sighed as he moved her from side to side trying to figure out how to make it work. She even was turned towards him at some point, but he didn't seem to notice her slightly miffed expression before turning her back to face the tree. Reaching to make a crook with his arm, he placed her sitting by his elbow before rocking her back into the sling he had made with his interlaced hands. Her behind had slid back, resting her back against his chest. His hands settled by her knees as she was in a human swing.

"Are you done?" She asked still flustered.

"Can you reach it from here?" He asked, almost ignoring her question. Looking forward, she found herself a bit below the drill mark, but it was easier to reach up then it would have been to reach down. Sighing, she could reach it.

"..Yes."

"Good!" He said cheerily. She sighed again. Sometimes there was no way to explain to him that these kinds of things were a tad bit odd, being wiggled around in the air without her consent. Though since it did serve the purpose she needed, she decided to look past it. He moved forward and she was able to reach the spot he had been trying to drill.

Vzzzzttt--Churrrggg

Even though she had shown him the 'right' way to use the drill, on her first attempt she herself missed. Shaggy chuckled behind her, making her shake a bit in his arms. She got flushed in the face from annoyance.

"Not A WORD..." She grumbled, which made him chuckle more.

"I didn't say anything."

She scowled and then put her back into the drill to press it into place. With a whir, the drill moved how it was supposed to and bit into the wood. After a bit oft he drill bit disappeared, she pulled it out so the hole got fully carved out. When the drill stopped, Shaggy turned and headed to the other side. He stayed tilted sideway so Velma could eye the height before she nodded and He turned fully so she was able to drill the second hole. The drill slide in easily into the wood and took a lot less time to get the same sized hole. Plus it also looked a lot nicer.

With the holes drilled, Shaggy let Velma down. Moving back to the first tree, he picked the discarded object from before and moved it up to the hole. With a grunt, he twisted the metal loop around in circles till the screw end grabbed all the way down the hole and held the loop in place. Velma wandered to get the partner to the other loop and handed it to Shaggy as he moved to the second tree and attached the loop as well.

Shaggy heard a rustle as Velma picked up the paper and looked over the next set of instructions. She looked back into the box and started to tug on the rest of the contents. Shaggy wandered to her side and peered over her shoulder for a bit before he leaned over and gave her a hand. He held the box down as she pulled the rest of the project out.

"Oof!" Velma gave a grunt and lost one hand's grip upon the thing she was hauling and her elbow came up sharply into Shaggys chin. It made a resounding crack as she hit him squarely. Rocketing to a full standing position, Shaggy hovered in the air before falling over from the impact.

"Shaggy!" Velma turned and leaned over her hurt companion. Worry filled her eyes as she fussed over him, trying to see if he was ok? He was stunned for a bit, and saw stars before they cleared and he found her looking over him.

"Nice shot." A hand came up and rubbed the bottom of his aching chin. It was going to be sore for a while, but he smiled none the less. She always had a killer right.

"You had me worried there." She reached down and effortlessly helped him to his feet. He grinned at her as he regained his footing.

"Then next time don't try to take off my chin. I need this for eating." He moved and got on the other side of the box, away from her deadly elbow. She shook her head, happy he was ok and quipping right back at her.

"Like that would ever stop you from eating anyway."

She tugged upwards and with his help form the other side the binding came loose and the rest of her project flopped out. Surprisingly, she found that a bunch of the steps had already been done off the instructions and basically all they had to do was attach it to the hooks they already had in place. Each grabbing a side, they pulled it apart and stretched it between them. It was probably between ten to thirteen feet long from tip to tip. With a shuffle sideways, they walked to the trees.

Using Shaggys height, he easily clipped his side into place before coming to where Velma had been holding her side and took it from her to put into the other loop. It snapped into place like the other side with a resounding click.

Stepping back, they looked over their handwork. They had just put up their first hammock.

"First dibs!" Shaggy shouted suddenly, dashing forward and taking a leap into the canvas material that was stretched between the two trees. With a circumference of several feet, the trees barely moved as his weight got placed between them suddenly.

"Hey!" Velma barked in protest, giving chase and bounding upon the hammock right behind him. It soon became a shoving match, as each tried to get enough room, while trying to push the other off. The hammock rocked violently, but did little to stop the antics. With a final shove, Velma had gotten Shaggy to the edge and pushed him off. The Hammock rocked back and forth as Shaggy thudded softly to the ground. With his height, he didn't have far to fall when the hammock had dipped and leaned almost sideways at the time of his exit.

Slowly, the hammock rocked to a slight sway, as a burst of laughter sounded off from Shaggys place of defeat on the floor underneath her.

"You won this time Velms. But I'll get you back. I like' promise you that." He challenged, though not all that seriously as he was still laughing. She was out of breath, but laughing as well as she had been triumphant for kicking him off. And obviously he was fine where he had fallen.

"Bring it on Norville, I'll be waiting." She joked, using his real name. He gave the hammock a kick from below, making her yelp at the sudden motion which made him laugh again.

"I accept."

With his triumphant excimation she settled into the hammock to enjoy the gentle swaying that the light breeze was causing. Shaggy had seemed to settle under her with no protest. As the sounds of the day settled into a light harmony, she seeemd to drift off to sleep. She felt comfortable, knowing that he was there. 


	2. Quiet Moment Interupted For Happy Ending

The birds were going at full tilt as Velma snuck out of the house. Not that she had any reason to sneak about, but a tiny part of her wanted to be by herself and enjoy the comfort of her new hammock.

Her strides were confident and paced as she crossed the back yard and came up to where the hammock was hanging. With one hand, she ran her hand across the canvas as she recalled fondly the first day she and Shaggy had put it up. The taste of victory was sweet as she had won the hammock fair and square from him. She had to smile, since the memory was a nice one.

Placing her hand in the middle of the canvas, she pushed off the ground and landed into the hammock with a flomp. With the sudden weight, the hammock pitched and rocked, but Velma only enjoyed the feeling more. Today was a good day, and a perfect day for enjoying the after noon with a book in the backyard. She had just picked up the first "Cat Who" books written by Lilian Jackson Braun. The books feature a reporter named James Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Kao K'o-Kung, Koko for short, and Yum-Yum. She had always wanted to start the series, but had always chosen other authors and series over this one till now. Mainly since she knew that since the series was still going strong, since it was started in 1966, with a total of thirty books totaling at the moment.

As the rocking settled, Velma twisted her body so that she was laying along the length of the hammock. She had bought one extra large to fit between the distance of the two trees. Also extra tough to be able to handle any abuse that her and her friends might come up with for the poor bit of material. Dwarfed by the canvas, she propped herself with one arm as she delightfully opened the book for the first time. Adorning the front of the book was a rather simple orange cover color, with a dagger and from bloody cat paws. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards was covering most of the front of the book in large white simple looking text. A book of this caliber didn't really need to much fancy text or over complex cover art. The story sold it self, and with it's author being almost one hundred years of age, shy five years, it had the history to back up it's claim.

The beginning showed it's age as the story started out a rather simple interview with who would become the main character for the long running series. But Velma was not able to get any further then that when a long yell of warning rang out in the back of the house.

"BONZAI!"

From a running start, Daphne had crossed the backyard with grace and ease of a over sugared ten year old. Not noticing Velma in the hammock, she had catapulted herself and landed upon the unsuspecting reader. The book, Velma's Glasses, and limbs went flying ever which way as the two ladies found themselves in a tangle.

"Wah"  
"What the..."

"Velm?" "Daph?"

Once the wobbling had settled down, the two found their foreheads mushed together. Which Daphne was finding herself on top and blinking into Velma's squinting unglassed eyes, Velma found herself with a mouthful of red hair.

"Blech!" Velma tried to spit out and blow away the defiant strands that hung still in her face. "... Your orange shampoo doesn't taste good." Velma grumbled once she had enough of the hair out of the way.

"Oops, sorry Velma." Daphne pushed off the canvas and flipped herself to land laying next to Velma. They were pushed against each other since gravity pulled in the middle between the two of them and pulled them towards each other, but it was a lot more comfortable then half the monster pile ups they have had in the past.

"Are you ok?" Daphne asked concerned. Blinking Velma used a free hand to brush her own brown frazzled bangs out of her face.

"Besides being surprised, getting landed on, and loosing both my book and glasses. I'm peachy." She quipped back, though it didn't have much of a edge to it since it really wasn't her fault. But what was Velma without a remark.

"Hahaha, yeah. Well I'll go get those for you." Rolling off the hammock, Daphne held the hammock steady as Velma slid to the center alone and blinking at all the blurry blobs that made up the scenery around her. It almost looked like a child had taken some various earthy tones like browns and greens and had got to town with finger paints as the colors seemed to mush together. Fascinating to say the least, but she still preferred being able to see.

"Found it?"

"Still looking." There came a few sounds of scuffling as Daphne checked the surrounding area that could have been in 'tossing' range. "Man girl, when you fling those glasses, you really fling them."

"Fine, next time you decide to drop in unexpectantly, I'll make sure to add a eye glasses tow rope." Velma rolled her eyes.

"We always did tell you to get one of those eye glasses straps that go around your head!" Daphne said cheerily. She had bought several for her more mi optically challenged friend, but Velma had rejected them every time.

"Ah yes. Librarian glasses. Do you know how much at the right angle of expulsion..."

"Angle of wha?"

"... The direction in which the glasses would leave me face due to movement that sometimes happens on our mysteries. Do you know how if one of those move just right, I'll end up being able to double as a hangman?"

Making the motion, she pantomimed a noose around her neck. Her bad experience with one of those things was when she was little gave her a evasion to use them. The little rubber ends held tight upon her glasses as the cord of the strap caught on a tree as she passed by it and nearly bruised her nose and almost choked herself in the process. So she wasn't a fan.

Daphne rolled her eyes and placed the thick black trimmed glasses on her friends nose. Leaving her finger upon Velma's nose, she moved the tip back and forth slightly as Daphne looked at her companion. Leaning on the edge, she rested her elbows on the hammock as the rest of her kneeled in the grass. She kept her rolling long hair in check with a steady hand as the other wiggled Velma's nose. With a far off look, Daphne sighed.

"What's on your mind?" Velma tried to ignore the nose waggling and concentrate on her best friend. The look of playfulness had left Daphne's face and it was replaced with a look of debating. Daphne didn't look down as the question was asked, but instead looked up towards the house in front of them.

"... How did we get here..." She said wistfully.

"... By the back door." Velma couldn't help but comment sarcastically back. It was to well set up for her not too. Daphne gave a short chuckle and pursed her lips. She walked right into that one. Giving Velma a tap on the nose, Daphne stood up to move around to the front of the hammock and leaned upon the tree it was attached to.

"You know what I mean. Here. Living all together and doing mysteries. It was always what we have done, but where did things end from living out of the back of a van as mostly coincidences with being there at just the right time, till doing this for a living?"

So much for her quiet after noon reading. Shifting her weight, Velma sat up and made room for the pondering red head.

"Come here." Patting the edge where she was sitting, she motioned for Daphne to join her. It took a few seconds as Daphne considered the offer before she relented. Sliding into the hammock with not to much rocking, she leaned into Velma as the nature of the Hammock drew them closer.

The distant look remained in Daphne's eyes as she rested her weight upon Velma's small but strong shoulder. Velma felt that this was some what serious, so she made a note to tone down the comments.

"So what happened today?" Velma asked flat out. Daphne turned to her quickly, confusion on her face before a flicker of sense hit her upside the head. They knew each other too long to be able to hide things from each other all that well. That and they had made their living solving clues and analyzing people's responses. So this kind of thing came with the territory.

"..." Sighing again, she recalled what had happened earlier in the day. Leaning on Velma more for support, she told about the vents that had occurred earlier.

"... I ran into Bridget."

Bridget was one of the Rival's Daphne had growing up. Like two rivals should be, they had enough in common to keep them on mostly equal ground, but they had plenty of differences to make it easy to tell one from the other. While Daphne had red hair, Bridget had locks of Raven pitch hair. They both competed in sports, and had fan clubs filled with hopefuls. Both came from rich families. While Daphne found Bridget as a friendly competitor, Bridget had seen their relationship more of a race for glory. And in Bridget's mind, she had won the battle long ago.

Bridget had always hated Daphne's fondness for the rest of the gang. The disappointment was clear as the other girl had found the idea of such a person from a wealthy family associating with riff raff of the lower class as pathetic. At first Bridget thought it charitable to help the nerds and geeks of the school to have some limelight, but that was even stretching it. As Daphne's grades sunk a bit from her often exploits of her and the gang's mystery hunting, Bridget found herself at the top of the social ladder. While she enjoyed it, sometime having a rival was good for comparison about how amazing she was. This was who Bridget was.

Velma flinched at the name. Her experiences with the pompous girl had been limited but enough to make a clear picture about who she really was. Bridge had spent a whole month making Velma's life a living hell, but she had weathered through it well enough to come out ok. But with Bridget's love for herself and the concept of a rival, she had spent far to much time trying to break and convert Daphne that it made Velma's blood boil.

"You shouldn't listen to anything that woman says." Velma had to hold her tongue. She had many choice words she would have liked to use, but held them in.

"... I know." Daphne slumped and slouched. Bridget was a cruel woman being older, and things had not changed for her at all. And even though Daphne knew this, the past was sometimes hard to ignore.

Velma placed a reassuring hand around Daphne to try to comfort her best friend. These were times that she was happy to call herself Daphne's friend and be there when she was stumbling. Heck, if she needed Velma could carry Daphne, but right now Daphne needed to vent and Velma was more then happy to just be there to help her get back up and standing.

"... She said that it was pitiful that we are living only blocks from most of our family's. She continued to say how poor it was that I never took after my real path in life and took after my parents to be rich. She also had heard we all were living together and made a few comments I'm not going to repeat..."

A flash of anger came and left across Daphne's face. It was one thing to make fun of her and her choices in life. But her friends were something different. She wasn't going to allow certain things. She felt like hitting Bridget as she had cut into Bridget's comment before it finished coming out of her cruelly smiling mouth.

"... How could someone so promising have sunk so low." Daphne quoted, trying to mimic the vicious tone that came from the haughty business woman's mouth. She had made a living of stabbing people int he back and stepping upon them to get higher.

"So, what is the problem?" Velma had felt that Daphne had hit her sulking limit and moved in to remedy the situation. "So Bridget was saying that finding happiness living where we grew up is a bad thing?"

"Well..."

"... Ok. Sure, we are not far from where we grew up. But after traveling so long, sometimes it's nice to have a solid piece of ground to call home. And even nicer to know that home has always been home and there is nothing unknown or all that surprising to pop up in Coolsville Ohio." Well, Ohio isn't exactly a bustling city or a famous tourist site for much. Sure, they had people coming through for this and that, but as an over all standard things were as they always were. Especially to Shaggy and Scooby's delight.

Daphne chewed on the tip of her nail as she considered Velma's response, but the brunette wasn't done yet.

"So she thinks that all the riches of the world is the solution to happiness? If that is true, then that woman has more to learn then Scooby and Shaggy do. I have never seen a more happy pair in the world, and beside needing money to buy food... If they could those two would live penniless and be fed, they would enjoy every moment." The mention of the pair brought a short chuckle to Daphne. Velma knew she was getting through to her so she kept at it.

"... It's easy to rely on the success of others and ride the wave that it creates. But to stand on your own two feet takes a whole other kind of strength. Sure, you could have had fancy clothes and any thing material you could desire... But you instead have this..."

Grabbing Daphne's hands, Velma held them up. Daphne's eyebrow raised as she looked up at her hands being held in front of her.

"... A self manicure?" Daphne said confused as she noticed her nails in the afternoon light. Velma rolled her eyes and held back a sigh.

"... No silly, it is your hands. But I mean more about all the things and people these hands have touched. All the people these hands have helped and regained lost things. From prides, to confidence and satisfaction. Sure, these hands have also helped anger many with all the villains we have put in jail for the crimes they committed, but what would have happened to all the other lost people had those hands not helped put those dangerous people being bars? This might sound corny..."

"... To late."

"Thanks." Velma snorted, giving Daphne a shoulder bump.

"What you don't have in worldly possessions, you hold far more dear the experiences and the satisfaction of living your life the way you choose and enjoy and all the people you have helped."

Daphne had already brightened up with the rather sappy speech. Velma hoped she was paying attention, since the younger girl didn't want to have to repeat herself again. She decided to finish up her monologue before it got to long.

"... How could someone so promising have sunk so low? If this is low, then I pray I remain here the rest of my life. Since people down here care and are worth caring about. Let her have the heights of the heavens by taking out those below. Though once you reach the top alone, who is there to enjoy it with?" Giving Daphne a head rub, she mussed the older girls hair.

"Hey! Alright, i get it I get it." She raised her hands up to defend her head. "... You don't have to bring the hair into it." She shot Velma a raspberry.

"Well, I'll do it again if you ever take that lowlife broad seriously again." Velma snorted again. Though she had many other words she could have used, her morals prevented the false usage of many words she had considered. She had her pride as a literate reader to take into an account. They would take away her gold star if she used bad grammar.

Giving Velma a hug, she surprised the younger girl once again. But _this wasn't so bad_, Velma thought as she found herself buried into the red hair once again. This time able to breath though. She brought up her hands and gave back the hug.

"Thanks... I needed that. It makes it easier knowing you guys are here with me." Daphne gushed into her best friend's hair. Velma lightly pushed the older girl off of her enough to bring then face to face. Leaning forward, Velma placed her forehead upon Daphne's like they had done earlier.

"Always. And don't be afraid to steal my reading time for a heart to heart. That is what book marks are for." She gave the other girl's hair a rub once more. Daphne smiled and separated, bring up her hand to beep Velma's nose once.

Leaning back, Daphne and Velma moved to settle side by side looking up at the now rosy sky as the sun was starting to set. The breeze was their only company for a while as the hammock rocked the two friendly gently on it's soft presence.

It was Daphne who finally broke the silence.

"So what were you reading before I landed on you?"

"The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. A book about this one guy and his mystery solving cats. Though at the beginning there is only one cat to help him." Velma replied simply.

Daphne looked over at Velma once before returning her eyes to watch the leaves rustle in the wind. Bringing her arms up, she crossed them to form a pillow to rest her head on.

"You're such a geek."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Takes one to know one."

Daphne thought it over. She had given up fighting for socially accepting things long ago. So maybe Velma was right.

"... At least I'm a fashion conscious geek." She defended herself which was only digging herself a deeper hole. Velma burst into laughing.

"What"

"...What!? I don't get it."

* * *

_I hope this chapter wasn't too serious. I wanted to have more interaction between Daphne and Velma to show just how close I have seen those two. Best friends. Simple as that. Plus it's always fun to make up a villain. Even if it's only a High School Bully. I hope you enjoyed this Chapter. There might be more depending. I still ahve one more idea, since Shaggy still has to get Velma back for chapter one._

Thank you for reading! : bows:

Toki


	3. Blame The Wind: FD

How do you know if something is real? Is it the fact that we can feel something? Or does it have to be material in order to believe it to exist? How could one then classify the wind?

Like wisps of flame dancing in a bonfire, strands of red hair drifted by the influence of the wind. Each moving with invisible hands pushing and making them flow by an unseen force that gently wandered around the open space of the backyard. The breeze had hung around for most of the day, it's mysterious existence had coxed Daphne to venture out of the house and just enjoy the feeling of the wind through her hair.

Wandering about for a while in the wind, Daphne had finally settled into the hammock and rocked with the soft push from the air about her. It was calming, to just forget about everything and take the time to listen to the wind.

"So it called you too?"

Came a voice from across the yard. Daphne was enjoying the relaxation to much to raise her head to confirm who had spoke to her. Though she knew his voice well enough that she was pretty sure who it could be.

"... Sometimes it's nice to get out." She replied simply, a content smile spreading across her lips as her head laid back to let the breeze play with her red locks. It was far better then cleaning her room, which she had been doing before she had came out.

"Hm." He grunted softly in agreement, caught up in the warm wind. For the last few days, Coolsville had been chilled and most days were to cold to really enjoy being outside unless you had to be. Today had been the first nice day for a while and that meant it should be enjoyed.

Moving across the lawn, Daphne could heard each step he took as he traveled towards her. There was a subtle difference between the wind teasing the leaves above, and the light crunching that his shoes made. Daphne could tell where he was. He paused a second in the grass and then traveled around the wheelbarrow that Velma and Shaggy had left out, since they had been working on the garden earlier before taking a break for lunch. She recalled her sneaking out after they had left to enjoy the wind. Stepping around the wheelbarrow, stepping over the...

"FRED!"

WHACK!

Sitting up sharply, Daphne watched as the shaft of the garden hoe drifted back to earth as it left it's mark upon Fred's face. Clenched in pain, his eyes scrunched closed as he took a step backward from the impact. He caught his footing, and brought up a hand to his injured nose.

"Ow..."

Springing to her feet, Daphne made it across to Fred in seconds to hovered concernedly. His hand was in the way, so it was hard to see how badly he had bopped himself.

"Are you ok?"

She said worried, having almost done that earlier to herself, she had forgotten about it till it was to late. He was still holding his face so Daphne felt the need to move him. Guiding him back to the hammock, she dropped him into it and tried to get his one hand out of the way so she could see how bad it was.

"Get that hand away so I can see how bad it is!" She grumbled. It was hard to be concerned and patient when he was being difficult. While Daphne pawed at the hand, Fred opened his eyes and looked up at her pitifully.

"It hurts..."

"Oh quit being a baby..."

He was grinning, though his nose did smart. It was nice to know she was concerned about him. So he let up and took away his hand from his face. She gasped in shock.

"What?" He asked a bit hesitant, hoping it wasn't anything that bad.

"Your nose is bleeding." Daphne looked around for a bit, trying to find something before the blood dripped all over his white shirt. As the blood was dripping every closer, she was getting frantic. Finally she just sighed and looked down. Roughly grabbing the hem of her shirt, she brought it up to her teeth and chopped down upon it and tugged. Making a cut, she was able to rip off a piece of her shirt and brought it up just in time to catch the blood before it landed on his nice white color. Fred had watched with wide eyes as she gently blotted his nose. His nose smarted from the blow, but he wasn't in shock due to the impact.

"..."

Once the nose was looking less drippy, she looked up and noticed the face Fred was making.

"... Are you ok?"

Bringing up a hand, Fred placed it on her forehead. She crossed her eyes trying to look up at his hand wondering what he was doing that for.

"I should be asking you the same thing. Are you sick?"

"No, I feel perfectly fine. It's you that is acting weird. Are you sure the hoe didn't hit out part of your brain as well?" He was the one acting weird, not her. At least Daphne thought so.

"But, you ripped your shirt!" He finally blurted out. To him, this was amazing to see. She ripped her shirt to help him out. In a way it was touching that she would sacrifice her beloved wardrobe for him, but it was odd to say the least.

"Hmph." She snorted. He was the one bleeding out his nose, and he's all shocked that she ripped her clothes. Sometimes she didn't quite get Fred. "So? I had to do something. I wasn't just going to let you bleed."

"Well..." He thought it over. She had always put friends over her clothing anyway. No matter how dirty or possible clothing endangering a mystery was, she would only complain a little and just continue on. In the end, she knew what really mattered. Fred smiled. "Thanks."

Daphne blushed at the sudden thanks. The smile that came with it through her since she was expecting something else since it seemed like he was going to pick on her or something. She gave him a genuine warm smile back dabbing at his nose as it dribbled a bit.

"Your welcome." She replied before her smile twisted to a smirk. "Besides. I couldn't let you get blood all over that nice white shirt. Do you know how much it takes to get blood out of clothing?" She exaggerated and he smiled knowing what she was doing. Sarcasm.

"Oh pity." He decided to run with it, it she was up for a bit of banter, he might as well oblige. "I always wanted to see if I could pull off a nice dried blood look." He pulled out his shirt to show it off to her and let her mind wader across the mental image. She shuddered, so he knew she took the bait.

"You wouldn't!"

Leaning over, he wiggled his nose in a threatening manner, though the silly grin that played across his face gave away his true intentions. Which didn't go unnoticed. Moving forward, she plugged up his nose with her bit of ripped t-shirt.

"There!" She nodded confidently.

"Awww..." He whined, but he let her win for now. "Fine. I'll spare the shirt today. But next time..." He started to say something before Daphne cut in.

"... Next time I'll use your Ascot." She said slyly. Fred's eyes grew wide, as a hand came up protectedly to his beloved accessory.

"You wouldn't!"

"I would." She grinned mischievously.

"Meanie." He pouted, a lip protruding cutely at her. She recoiled.

"No, not the lip!" She covered her eyes. "I give I give!"

The two of the broke into laughter, flopping back into the hammock together. The laugher lasted a while before it quieted down to chuckles as the wind pushed the two gently back and forth. With shoulders pressed against each other, they relaxed and enjoyed the breeze together. Savoring the fact that they knew not even a garden tool could ruin a nice day and delightful company. Just Knowing you are there. 


	4. On the Wind: SD

Sometimes it's to hard to ignore the calling of the wind. Though it wasn't the first time, it seemed to be calling out to Daphne yet again. It was like a siren call, luring her outside to enjoy it as the day wained into night. Her steps were sure and strong, bounding across the grass that occupied the backyard and she sought out her new favorite spot.

The Hammock.

She could not thank Velma and Shaggy enough for setting it up. It was a wise decision and one of the few Daphne would actually admit that Velma was a genius for. Just, not to many times, just in case her head would get to big with the compliments.

With expert skill, Daphne slid into the hammock, barely registering her movement on the swinging seat. She was giddy to get the chance to enjoy her new CD. With their usual hectic schedule, she had to push off listening to it for a while. Monsters and such won't wait for her to enjoy her music, and it was not the kind of music that went well with chase sequences. It was far better suited for a windy day, hanging out in the backyard and enjoying the eventual sunset.

With the headphones sung around her ears, she snuggled into the weave of the hammock and rocked lightly as she started her CD. The light flute welcomed her, as she sighed in contentment. Today was going to be a nice, lazy day and she was going to enjoy it.

When Shaggy and Scooby came back from their walk, she didn't pay much attention to them. Dozing off a tiny bit with her music, she devoted her attention to that and not the two scruffy forms that peered over at her. It was only when Shaggys head blocked the sun that got her attention. Noticing her listening to music, he didn't want to interrupt, so he just waved in response. In the shade of his poofy hair, she smiled as she looked up at him and waved back.

The large dane was about to open his mouth to greet Daphne, when Shaggy stopped him and pointed at his ears. He tried to sign to the Dane, that Daphne was listening to something and they should let her enjoy her music. Another open mouth was quickly stopped in it's tracks by a frizbee. Nodding his head to the rest of the backyard, Shaggy led the confused Dog to play, while Daphne enjoyed her CD in peace.

Daphne sighed, thankful for the quick intervention of Shaggy. The song was really getting good and she didn't want to stop to talk. There is something about hearing a song the first time, and she really wanted to get the full experience of the song, and not have to pause during the best part and then have to get back into it. The company was welcome though.

With the winds help, the little red frisbee soared between man and dog. Though it wasn't the kind of frisbee most people would think, as both Scooby AND Shaggy caught the frisbee in their mouths. Well, when it was opportune. They also caught it on fingers, paws and toes if they could manage. Tail was optional.

They were fun to watch. There was something about the simple pleasure of enjoying each others company in such a plain way. The frisbee when back and forth, and there was no actual reason why other then 'because it's fun'. A easy game between two friends, to be enjoyed on such a nice fading glory day as they one they were experiencing. A day that you felt like you needed to be outside.

As her CD swung into a moving song, her attention was diverted from the two guys to her music. A memorable melody danced around her head as a well timed swirl of wind blew her hair about as it hung off the hammock. The swell of the background orchestra mixed with the simple but memorable lyrics of the singer distracted her.

With her eyes closed, she didn't notice the small shadow that passed over her body. But she did notice the sudden weight as one, large Great Dane decided to land on her. Unable to sustain the both of them and the momentum Scooby had brought with him as he had chased after the frisbee, the hammock flipped. Dumping both woman and dog to the ground underneath.

Daphne groaned as the weight of the over-sized dog stayed upon her. Sorry for his actions, Scooby had loomed over her to make sure she was ok and then bathed her face in apology when she shot him an unhappy glance. Daphne sighed, unable to stay angry at the dog for just being himself. Grunting, she shoved him out of the way. She gave him a smile, and pushed away his head again as he pressed back under the hammock to make sure.

Worried, Shaggy had dashed over and hauled the dane off Daphne. Give him a stern wave of his finger, he turned back to help her up. Pushing the hammock out of the way, he offered a hand to her. Seeing Shaggy, she smiled and took his offered hand. Starting to pull her to her feet, they had forgotten about the tangle of CD player and headphones. Caught in part of her hair, she twisted to avoid pulling it and instead pulled back on Shaggy. Not expecting the sudden weight, he fell forward and dumped her back to the ground and he landed on top of her.

Shaggy laid there confused for a moment before he realized where he in fact was. Darting up, he tried to get off her and instead banged his head upon the Hammock and rolled to her side in sudden pain. But his action also got himself tangled into the headphone wire which drew her closer to him, trying to save her wire from being stretched or broken.

She was now resting on top of him, the both of them tangled together by the headphones. Tired, she just lay there on top of him, her head resting upon his chest. She could hear his heart beat, which reminded her of the fading rhythm that echo'ed off her headset. Still playing even though the CD player was on the ground next to them. Shaggy rubbed his offended head, but didn't seem to be particularly moving to get up. Then again, it was not uncommon for them to have landed in a pile. Often in their mysteries, they would collide at some point and end up in a heap. Blowing a puff of air, he pushed away a few of her hairs that were tickling his nose.

Leaning up, his eyes followed the trail of the headphones. Tangled in her red mane, the ear piece trailed off to the cord. Wrapped around her arm once, it then led to where he had caught his own wrist and then it went back to catch on her once more, before it ended in the player in the grass beside them. Lightly, he brought up his free arm to de-tangle her hair from the headset. Sensing what he was doing, Daphne stayed still to cut down the hassle of getting it out of her hair. It was starting to get dark by the time he had managed to get it out of her hair.

Pushing up, he pulled her against himself as he settled in a sitting position against one of the trees that held up the hammock. She waited till he got comfortable till she adjusted herself in his lap. Nodding his head, she turned and noticed the sun was just settling over their fence that split their house from the next. Leaning against Shaggy, she settled to watch the sunset. It wasn't so bad.

"Thanks."

She commented simply. Maybe it was for the help up, or getting the headphones out of her hair. She didn't specify. She didn't think she had to.

Grunting again, she was caught by surprise as Scooby had joined them. Feeling left out, the dane crawled under the hammock to flop himself over the two as they watched the sunset. She had to laugh. Ruffling the dogs ears, she gave him a head scratch as the day came to an end. Content to spend the last fading moments of the day, together.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed this. And it was not to boring. I was trying to see if I could make a whole story with only one Word spoken. So I made a cute Shaggy/Daphne story, for those fans who enjoy that pair. That and sometimes it's nice to write cute fluff. I hope you liked it._

Toki


	5. Revanche: SV

Humming to herself, Velma had been preparing for this all day. Everything had been perfect! Spending most of the morning getting all her normal things in order, it left her afternoon free to do something that she had been waiting days to finally get to do!

Peering out her room's window, she had a perfect view of the backyard, and her eventual prize. Swinging lightly in the wind, the hammock was unoccupied and unclaimed. It was hers for the taking! With Daphne out, and Fred visiting his parents, she only had Shaggy and Scooby to worry about. And last she had heard, the pair were occupied in the kitchen. So, she doubted that would ever notice her outside.

"Mwahaha... Mine. All mine." She muttered to no one in particular. Feeling a bit silly, but indulging herself in personal time for the first time in a while. That, and her book had finally come in! She had been waiting for the latest version, and Shaggy had gotten it in the mail the day before. So she had made sure to open up her calender for some personal time with her favorite passion.

Reading!

With book in hand, she left her room with a purpose. Making quick strides, she traveled down the hallway and into the kitchen. Without even checking before hand, Velma let not even the threat of flying food, pause her thirst for literature. Though the threat wasn't present, oddly enough. But at quick glance, she noticed that the dishes were in the sink, so she figured they had gone out for their walk. Which was perfect! Not even the duo would slow her down from her quest!

Leaving out of the kitchen door, she entered the backyard without a problem. Crossing the grass, she found herself facing her destination. Hanging there, she ran an affectionate hand down the length of canvas that hung in front of her. The Hammock. By far, the best use of her money, in a really long time. It was up there, with her favorite tools, and her beloved laptop as the best presents she gave herself. Well, that and her book collection, as evidence with the newest addition tucked under one arm.

Pulling it out, she was about to get into the hammock when she realized it was kinda silent in the backyard. Now normally, that wouldn't bother her. But she had thought to bring out her MP3 player to enjoy some of her new music Daphne had gotten her, while she was relaxing. But she had gotten so wrapped up with trying to get outside to start, that she had totally forgot.

"Silly me... Oh well. I'll be right back, my book. Wait here."

Placing the book into the bend of the hammock, she turned back to the house. It took her maybe a few minutes to find her player, and return outside. But as she closed the kitchen door behind her, a great gust of wind picked up, making her flinch against the sharp breeze. Pushing a few strands of hair out of her face, she looked off in the direction the freak wind had come from.

"Sheesh... Stupid weather." She muttered to herself, heading back to the hammock, MP3 player in hand. But as she got closer, she noticed something shocking!

The hammock was unhooked on one side! How... That was possible, Velma couldn't fathom what had transpired. But searching the fallen hammock, she found her book was safe. Confused, she looked again in the direction of the weird wind. Then looked back to the tree that the hammock had gotten unhooked from. She tried to figure out how mere wind could have unclipped the hammock from it's sturdy latching, that was had been drilled into the tree. But looking around, there was no one else in the backyard that could have done it, so it had to have been the wind.

Shaking her head, she pushed it aside for being an abnormal event, and tried to get back to her original plan.

Pulling her book out of the hammock, she placed it safely aside the tree base, just in case another random gust came by. But now came the hard part... The clasp for hooking the hammock back onto the hoop in the tree. A simple procedure really... With the exception that the loop was a good six feet off the ground. And Velma, even on her tiptoes, was far from that height. Well, not tall enough to reach and drag a rather hefty piece of material behind her. Part of her cursed the sturdy bit of fabric. While it was strong enough to put up with the punishment her and the gang could dish out, it made made reattaching something of a nuisance.

It must have looked really funny, if anyone had come along. Watching the short woman try as she might, to reattach a hook that was out of her reach. Beyond magically having some levitating power, or some strange wall climbing ability to scale the side of the tree... She was stuck to other, more mundane practices.

"Argh... Stupid thing. Need to get a ladder."

Muttering several things under her breath. She crossed the backyard and headed to the garage.

"Stupid wind. Stupid logical placement of the hook, having to be so high. I hope the ladder is still here..." Hoping her memory served her right, and they hadn't use their last ladder in some crazy plan of Fred's... And it still should be somewhere in the garage.

* * *

Taking longer then she had wished, Velma had finally found the ladder. Her hair was mussed, and she was now covered in splotches of dirt and dust... But she had the ladder in hand. Dragging it behind her, she really didn't have the energy to lift it all the way up. And it was taller then she had wished, but it would serve her purpose. With some effort, she managed to get it across the backyard, without incident.

Clacking the ladder into place, she climbed up the ladder to test out how many steps she would have to take, in order to drag the hammock into place. As she counted the rungs, she reached the point and then stopped... Staring at the hammock clip, hanging off the loop where she had climbed up. Following the hammock down, she found that she had put the ladder up, on the wrong side.

"Hm. Funny... I thought that I had remembered the right side."

She spoke aloud, the noticing the book at the base of the tree she was leaning against. It was right where she had put it, but the side was wrong. Well, she had thought it was wrong. But thinking back, as the wind had blown in a certain way, it made more sense that the hook on the other side of her, came off.

"Maybe I'm just loosing my mind... Oh well. I'll just adjust it, and then put this all aside to finally get to my book."

She had wasted enough time. Sighing once, she climbed down and lifted the ladder to move it across to the other side. Clacking it down, she opened it up and counted the steps up to the right height. Getting the number right, she returned to the ground to grasp the end of the hammock. Gripping it tightly in one hand, she grabbed the ladder with the other and hauled on the hammock to get it off the ground. It took a bit of wrestling... but she finally got it snapped into it's rightful place. Once installed again, it baffled her how just a big gust of wind, could have knocked it off. But never mind! It was up, and ready for her to read... She just needed to put away the ladder.

Climbing down, she was a lot chipper as she heaved on the ladder and threw it over her shoulder. Walking back to the garage, she put it down long enough to get the garage back open and put the ladder away. Once away, she closed the door and headed back to the hammock. Leaning down, she plucked the book from it's spot on the grass, and was about to hop into the hammock... when she noticed the side had somehow... came off again.

_Sigh._

It should have dawned on her sooner. But the giggling from behind the one side of the house, gave away what her mind had finally deduced. It wasn't some freak wind, that had been causing her question herself... But a certain tall man, who thinks it's funny to mess with her.

"Har har... Get out here Norville."

With a deep, sarcastic tone to her voice, she accused the one person she knew would do such a thing. Sure, Fred had been tall enough to unclip it, but he was out and wouldn't have done that in the first place. His plans... are far more complicated. And strangely enough, easier to see through then Shaggy's simple ones. It was because it had been so simple, that he had gotten away with it as long as he did. And the weather had only aided his efforts.

But unlike what she had been expecting, Shaggy came out from around the bend looking a lot more guilty then she had been expecting. He wasn't pouting, or hanging his head in silent acceptance of his antics... But instead was smiling, and looking at her over steeped fingers.

"Mwahahahahahaha! Rue the day that you have messed with me! Rue I like' say! I have had my Revanche!" He cackled, trying his best to sound like some bad movie villain. Actually, trying to sound like one in particular, as he mispronounced one of the words in a very specific manner.

_What, am I Metroman?_ Velma thought to herself. But since he was going to be the villian, she would play the dashing hero...iene?

"It's **_REVENGE_**, and it's best served cold!" She retored back, in over the top, hero like tone. Throwing in a few hand gestures for added effect. She really couldn't get mad at Shaggy, and he had gotten her back good. Not that she would admit it. But rather flaut his victory... he moved to being silly and quoting super villians.

"But it can be easily reheated, in the microwave of evil!" He quipped back, adding a few dramatic hand gestures of his own. Then again, if Shaggy was to ever be some type of super villain, Velma could easily see him having a 'microwave of evil' And probably a few other dastardly kitchen objects. Though as much as she was playing the good guy, she was easily more suited for the evil genius role than Shaggy was.

"Well, I think your warranty's about to expire!" Grasping her hand in front of her, she played her role to the hilt. Though in the back of her mind, she hoped that neither Fred nor Daphne would come in on their geeky banter. Though it would probably only earn a eye rolling from the redhead. And knowing Fred, he would probably love to play some role as well. Though oddly enough, Velma thought he would make a great Roxanne Ritchi.

"Maybe I got an extended warranty!"

"Warranties are invalid, if used beyond their intended purpose!"

"I... I..." Drawing himself up, he then paused a second before crumpling into his normal slumping posture. Giving his head a scratch, he shot Velma a bashful grin. "Like' What's the next line?"

"Oh Shaggy... Shaggy shaggy shaggy." Velma sighed with a smile on her face, shaking her head. "Technically, it's 'Girls, girls, you're both pretty! Can I go home now?' But we don't have a Roxy to say that. And it would be silly for..." Pausing, she looked him up and down, before continuing her sentence with some hesitation. "Megamind, to say that. Come on, mister 'super villain' and help me get this hammock back up. It's your fault and I don't want to dig that ladder out a second time."

"Hee hee. Sure thing Velms." With a happy bounce in his step, Shaggy went over and plucked the end off the ground, in order to put it back in place. With his height, it took him little time to snap it into the loop. "But I got you."

"Yes yes... You got me." Velma acquiesced, before pausing a second. "Wait... What did you get me for?"

"For this." Shaggy said, wiggling the hammock a bit before hopping into it. "When we put it up. We fought for the hammock and I lost. But I said like' I would get you back."

"Ah, I had forgotten about that. Then I accept my defeat. You got me fair and square." Offering her hand, she held it out for him to take. But Shaggy didn't really need her to accept it for him to be happy. Just watching her struggle a bit, had been more then entertaining enough to make him a winner. But he took her hand anyway.

And he didn't miss the evil glint that flickered across her face, as his hand took hers. Bracing himself against the dirt, he knew what she had planned, and counteracted it. As she pulled to try to heave him out of the hammock, he dug his heels into the ground and pulled back on her. Not expecting him being braced and pulling back, she was caught off guard and instead got pulled towards him and the hammock. Promptly being thrown into the hammock next to him.

"Eek!" She squeaked, landing against his side. For a second, she braced herself as she found her on the opposite end of what she had planned. He had got her again... And this time it was her own fault. Embarrassed, she hid her face and Shaggy broke into a laugh. Pushing off with his feet against the ground, he rocked the hammock into a swing.

"Dang." Velma snorted, smiling against the blush in her face.

"I knew you had that planned, Velms. You're like', too predictable." Shaggy said, looking over at her. Leaning back, he shifted his position to give her more room. He had been sitting against the hammock's length, making more like a modified rocking chair then a bed. Like Velma liked sitting in it. So he was easily taller then the width of the hammock, allowing him the ability to hang his arms over the back side of the hammock, like one would do on a couch.

"Predictable... like... This!" She said it quick enough that Shaggy hadn't been able to react in time. With his hands stretched over the back of the hammock, it left his whole side open for attack. And Shaggy was really ticklish! With skilled hands, she launched herself to get some of her own _revanche_, tickling the heck out of his prone flank. Reacting, Shaggy almost flipped the whole hammock, in an attempt to wiggle out of ticking range. She only relented, when he finally begged for mercy.

"No No...wahahahah... like' noheehee... Stop it! Hahaha, like' come on Velms..."

"Ok... But you deserved it." She gave in to his pleas. Pulling back, satisfied. Shaggy shot her a pout, but didn't hang on to it long before he offered a hand.

"We're even. Truce?" Shaggy offered.

Velma eyed the hand suspiciously, before looking at his face. It was as serious as Shaggy could be in this kind of situation. With a grin on his face, but nothing more then that. Unlike the calculating look he had earlier. So she gave in. Taking his hand in her own, she shook it.

"Truce... For now."

"Heh, yeah. That works for me." Shaggy said, relaxing again to put his arms back over the back of the hammock. He had no reason to disbelieve her words, and so he went back to his lounging without fear that she would take advantage. And as much as she would have loved to switch to the villain role, Shaggy was too honest of a guy to even think about going back on his word. So she couldn't bring herself to move in and be that mean. So she would have to obey the truce... for now.

"Oh!" Randomly speaking up, Shaggy seemed to have recalled something. Giving the ground a push, Velma was caught off guard as Shaggy pushed the hammock into a rough swing. Throwing his legs into it, it seemed like he was trying to reach for something as he rocked.

"Almost... Almost... There!" Pulling his hands from around the hammock, he brought around what he had been trying to get.

"Tah dah!" Presenting it to her, he had managed to pluck her book from the ground where she had accidentally dropped it during their earlier confrontation. Though she had managed to ham up her performance as Metroman without loosing the grip of her book, the unexpected turn that Shaggy had caught her in, made her loose her grip and deposited the book upon the floor nearby. In all the excitement, she had totally forgotten about it. But thankfully, the book seemed unharmed. Taking the book from his hands, she tucked it to her chest in appreciation and relief.

"Thanks."

"Like' it's nothing Velms. Sorry I interrupted your reading time. I promise I'll be good for the rest of the day and let you finally read."

Looking up at him, she silently thanked him again, earning a grin from the scruffy man. For all the trouble he had caused her, she really couldn't hold a grudge against him. Sighing, she decided to give in and finally get around to reading. Pushing against the hammock, she struggled against the gravity that Shaggy had been creating. Since he had positioned himself smack dab in the middle of the canvas, everything pulled towards him. Pausing to calculate, she mentally tried to figure out the most logical position she could get in this position, without the cost of comfort. Running a few scenarios in her head, she finally figured out the best route.

Reaching up at the top most part of the hammock, she heaved her body weight against the one arm to free her legs that had gotten pulled into a kneeling position from him pulling her at him. Minding her skirt, she shifted to side and let part of her legs lean over towards the ground. She didn't want to disturb the hammock too much, as Shaggy had relaxed himself into a snooze, already. With one finally pull, she brought herself around to be facing the same direction Shaggy was. Basically sitting side by side with him.

Well, it's better then putting my face into his side. She remarked to herself, finally releasing her grip off the top hammock. It wasn't the ideal reading position, but it could be worse... Years of traveling proved that true, more often then not. Better then flying commercial.

Relaxing against Shaggy, she turned her attention to the book in her lap. Not wanting to drop it again, she made sure to have a tight grip on it as she moved. Starting at the cover, she was about to open it up, when she remembered her MP3 player.

Reaching into one of her many hidden pockets, she drew the little machine from one of them. She had been very thankful for her own foresight, as she had put it away safely earlier. Making sure she had not dropped it in all the chaos that had followed. Pulling the little ear nubs, she placed them into both ears, before fiddling with the player. Turning it on, she made sure it was at the beginning and the volume was set at a moderate level. She hit the play button, and settled once again into the side of Shaggy. Only then, did she pick open the book.

Sentences and paragraphs flew by, along with seconds and minutes. And soon, one slower song, changed into a more upbeat one. Enjoying both what she was reading, and listening too... She had been unable to contain a few hums and bobs to the music. Which earned an unexpected result from the nearby Shaggy.

Pulling one hand from around the top of the hammock, Shaggy brought his hand down to the opposite side of Velma's shoulder. Without opening an eye, his hand fell lightly upon the bend of the joint. But he didn't stop there. Raising his fingers, an arched eye watched the hand come to life at the edge of her vision. But she didn't move an inch. Tracing a circle on her shoulder, a finger then took a detour towards her neck. Hitting the angle of her neck, his fingers walked one after another up the side, before they reached her jaw bone. Tapping the jaw lightly, Shaggy's fingers jumped to her earlobe.

Things went quickly after that, almost faster then Velma could follow...

He had stolen her left side, ear bud. With deft hands, he had plucked the speaker from her ear and quickly brought it to his own, in a split second. Only to return to his relaxed pose, as if nothing had happened. But with the slightly rocking of head, it appeared he too liked the song that had been playing.

Shaking her head a little, she sighed and gave in. Letting him enjoy the MP3 player as well. She couldn't bring herself to reclaim the ear bud. Especially after all the trouble he had gone through to get it. Might as well let him have another victory, that day.

_Shaggy Shaggy Shaggy... What am I going to do with you?_


End file.
